What Does Your Personal Brand Say About You?

What is Your Personal Brand and Reputation?

 

If you were to conduct a Google search on yourself, what would you find? Would the search results accurately represent who you are? Whether or not you know it yet, we all have a personal brand.

To put it simply, your personal brand is who and what you are. It is the combination of skills, experience and personality you promote to the world. It has the power to create an emotional response from people towards you – and in the case of some of the most powerful brands in the world (think Oprah or Barack Obama) –  it has the power to lead to great success.

Now what about your personal reputation? Well, as Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon, said it, “Your brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room”.

Your reputation is how the world collectively perceives you, which can have either a positive and negative effect on your brand.

 

Why is Your Personal Brand Important?

  1. Stand out from your Peers/CompetitorsYour personal brand is a great tool to set you apart from those around you. For example, you might be more experienced and educated than the co-worker beside you, yet, if we were to search you both on Google and your co-worker has the greater brand presence; they’re likely going to look better than you. Your personal brand is an opportunity to illustrate your expertise and portray how you are differentiated amongst others.
  2. Establish Trust and Credibility– Successful company brands such as Apple, Google and Coca-Cola know exactly who they are, what they do, and what sets them apart. Your personal brand should do just the same. When your brand is genuine and clear it’s much easier to build credibility from those around you.
  3. Create new Opportunities and ConnectionsA strong personal brand can open many doors, including: job interviews, career advancement, networking, business partnerships and speaking engagements. Think of your brand as the foundation towards your personal and professional growth. 
  4. Build Confidence- A well-defined personal brand allows you tounderstand your own strengths and weaknesses. This will help provide direction to how you can utilize those strengths and where to share them with others. When you know you have something great to offer, chances are your confidence will skyrocket.

 

How can you influence and enhance your Reputation?

 

Building your brand and reputation positively will be a major contributor towards personal and professional success. Unfortunately, building your personal brand is much more than a simple elevator pitch and developing it will take time. To start off, ask yourself  “What do I want my personal brand to look like?”Take some time to consider the following:

  • What do I represent?
  • How do I present myself to the world?
  • What are my core values?
  • Do my actions reflect my core values?
  • What does my ideal brand look like?

Once you have decided what you want your brand to look like, ensure that you’re taking actions that are in alignment with your brand. Are you presenting yourself with clarity and consistency? Is your brand consistent across LinkedIn, Facebook and relevant platforms? Are you undertaking activities, work engagements or volunteer experiences that are consistent with your personal brand? Remember that your values may change over time as you gain new skills and experiences- and that’s OK. The key takeaway here is to ensure your personal brand remains authentic and true to you. Once you recognize who you are, you’ll be ready to share your brand with the world.

 

Are you looking for help with your personal brand? Our professional coaches are here to help! Drop us a line at info@pivothrservices.ca or 604.916.6199.

 

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